There is a lot of ink spilled on how much the landscape of the California coast resembles that of the Mediterranean coast of Italy.
But if you ask me, California, particularly in and around Santa Barbara County, also feels a lot like the south of France, albeit with a few extra palm trees thrown in.
I think Mel and Janie Master agree.
After all it was the Masters, longtime Denver restaurateurs and card- carrying members of the Front Range Association of Bona Fide Restaurant Royalty, who conceived Montecito, the popular new Provencal/ Californian restaurant on East Sixth Avenue in Denver.
It’s a home-run concept: the familiar, herby, olive-oil-soaked flavors of Provence, the fresh, hearty, olive-oil-soaked ingredients of California, the wine list to match. All in a casual, laid-back setting.
And it works.
Mostly.
Mel and Janie were smart to partner with executive chef Adam Mali, most recently of the Ajax Tavern in Aspen. His interpretations are, for the most part, sharp and inspired: pan-seared salmon with sunchokes, fresh agnolotti with butternut squash, roasted figs with brandy and ice cream.
Mali is constantly tinkering with the menu. I’ve seen numerous subtle changes – an extra ingredient in this dish here, one less detail on that dish there – over my four visits.
If you pay attention to menus too closely (mea culpa) this can be jarring, but it makes sense at a place like Montecito; after all, like any self-respecting neighborhood cafe in France or California, this is an ingredient-driven menu, tied to the comings and goings of what’s available, what’s selling, what’s on special.
One thing that’s always available is the clever “Mac and Cheese” sandwich appetizer, a buttery grilled cheddar and Macintosh apple sandwich (hence the “mac” component; there’s no pasta in this sandwich).
Another appetizer making the cut from menu to menu was an oceany, savory stack of white anchovies paired with roasted red peppers and a lemon-kissed cucumber radish salad, a triumph of shopping and plating.
I expected to hate the grilled calamari, which were presented as calamari heads stuffed with white beans and seemed much too fussy, but they were tender and salty and flavorful.
Conversely, I expected to love the Montecito Caesar (a straightforward interpretation of the classic Romaine-anchovy-lemon concoction), but it, like the twice-boiled Ribolitta soup, fell flat.
Good thing I’d already sated my appetizer needs with the daily salumi plate: three cured meats, cheese, breadsticks, olives and caperberries assembled on a brick-red Spanish Colonial-style roof tile.
(Insert your own joke about salumi-on-a-shingle here.)
My favorite entrée at Montecito, and one of my current favorite entrees anywhere, was the butter-roasted wild striped bass with lentils. The visual beauty of the plate – soft, white, flaky flesh of the fish against a bed of tile-green French lentils accented by a verdant drizzle of watercress sauce – promised and delivered a delicate-but-hearty haute-country supper.
Two other winners on the menu were the roasted chicken with Moroccan spices and the grilled steak with blue cheese butter and herbed frites. Both were straightforward and pleasantly underadorned.
Colorado Lamb Bolognese, a filling dish of tagliatelle topped by a rich, meaty pancetta-lamb ragout cunningly spiked with mint, warmed the cockles of my snow-weary heart the first time I had it, but the second time I wished for deeper seasoning.
Likewise, I enjoyed the spaghetti with plum tomatoes, basil and red chili flakes better the first time I had it, before they added grilled shrimp. Although well-prepared and flavorful, the shrimp gilded this lily of a simple dish.
The wine list at Montecito beautifully reflects the French-
Californian spirit of the place, with a few splurges and plenty of bargains. Make it an all-Master meal and try a bottle from their proprietary label, Tortoise Creek.
Montecito’s greatest challenge is perhaps its space, which until late last year was occupied by Piscos. Although plenty big and well-appointed, it’s frustratingly poorly lit. This is bright, upbeat food, but too often the lights are too low to get a good look at what’s on your plate.
It’s also divided awkwardly into a main dining room, a bar area, and a covered patiolike strip along East Sixth Avenue, which means that too many of the tables in the place are out of sight – and, too often out of mind – of your server.
In my experiences at Montecito, dishes have arrived on time and hot, but when I’ve needed extra attention (an extra glass of wine, for instance, or a better knife for my steak) I’ve had a hard time flagging down assistance.
That said, the busy servers have been friendly and indulgent – once they realized we needed something.
Mel and Janie Master, aptly named, are proven, masterful restaurant proprietors. With a résumé that includes the wildly successful Dudley’s in the 1970s and ’80s, the toast-of-
New-York restaurant Jams through the 1980s, and the stalwart (and sadly, soon-to-close) Mel’s Bar and Grill in Cherry Creek for the past dozen years or so, they’ve cooked and served with the best in the world.
Is Montecito the Master’s ultimate masterpiece? Nah. But it’s off to a solid start, thanks to Mali’s prowess in the kitchen, a dedicated clientele of longtime Masters devotees and a generally hospitable vibe.
And with a second Montecito set to open later this year in Greenwood Village, it could become their most successful franchise yet.
All that’s missing is the view of the rolling hills of Provence.
Er, California.
Dining critic Tucker Shaw can be reached at 303-954-1958 or at dining@denverpost.com.
Montecito Restaurant & Bar
French-Californian
1120 E. Sixth Ave. (between Corona and Downing streets), 303-777-8222, montecitorestaurant.com
* *
1/2|Very good/Great
Atmosphere: Busy neighborhood eatery with three distinct seating areas including a strip of booths along Sixth Avenue.
Service: Experienced and busy, sometimes too busy.
Wine: Smart, well-edited wine list with more than a few gems. Try one of the Masters’ own wines from their Tortoise Creek label.
Plates: Starters $5-$15.; entrees $14-$21
Hours: Bar 4:30 p.m.-close Tuesday-Saturday. Dining room 5:30 p.m.-close Tuesday-Saturday.
Details: Reservations recommended but not needed. Great for dates. Seasonal menu.
Four visits.
Our star system:
****: Exceptional
***: Great
**: Very good
*: Good
No stars: Needs work.
